RESUMO
Introduction: The purpose of this study was to test different sealerremoval protocols following root canal filling before adhesive seal ofaccess cavities. Material and methods: Forty single root teeth wereselected for the study, prepared to size 60 taper .02, and filled withAH plus and a single gutta-percha cone size 55 taper .02. Excesssealer was removed with: ethanol-moisturised foam pellet (group 1),pellet and additional etch-and-rinse procedure (group 2), pellet andadditional preparation with a water-cooled diamond bur (group 3) orby etch-and-rinse following temporary filling for one week (group 4).Syntac and Tetric flow were used as a secondary protective seal. Adye penetration test (centrifugation 3min / 30G; 5% methylene blue)was carried out. Results were analyzed statistically using PASW 18.0(Kolmogorov-Smirnov-test, Kruskal-Wallis-test, Mann-Whitney-test;p < 0.05). Results: Groups 2, 3 and 4 revealed less leakage than group 1(p < 0.05; Mann-Whitney-tests) and displayed no coloration exceedingthe adhesive seal. Teeth with immediate (group 2) or delayed (group4) adhesive seal showed similar results. Conclusion: Acid etching orbur preparation may be recommended before adhesively sealing theaccess cavity in single-rooted teeth. There is no need to wait until thesealer has set.
